Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Review: "Crazy, Stupid, Love"

It’s not often that I pull out the, “Just See This Movie”
card. I half-way did it with the most recent “Harry Potter” film but that was
as much a plea to read the books as it was see the movie so I don’t think it
counts. I allot myself no more than two “Just See This Movie” cards a year
though many years I pass on playing one altogether. Movies are subjective and
interpretive by their very nature; what works for me may not work for you and
vice versa and I try to keep that in mind when I review a film (unless it’s a
particularly bad one; I’ll smash on those films with no regard to differences
in opinions). Therefore, I want to say upfront that I’m playing a “Just See
This Movie” card on “Crazy, Stupid, Love.” I’m not going to promise you’ll love
it; I won’t even promise you’ll like it. But I have a feeling that in five
years I’m going to be the only person who remembers this film and it’s too
intriguing to be forgotten. So…just see this movie.

“Crazy, Stupid, Love” presents the audience with no build
up. We are introduced to the Weavers right as Emily (Julianne Moore) tells Cal
(Steve Carell) that after having cheated on him with a coworker (Kevin Bacon),
she wants a divorce. Within minutes of screen time, Cal is forced to move out
and starts trying to figure out what exactly happened to the life he spent 25
years creating. Lonely and depressed, Cal begins to frequent a bar where he
notices Jacob (Ryan Gosling), a ladies man in the vein of Barney Stinson (“How
I Met Your Mother”). To Cal’s surprise, Jacob takes an interest in him and
begins mentoring him on the finer points of single life and picking up women.
Cal is nervously but sufficiently transformed and regains some of his former
strength under Jacob’s tutelage. The only question is whether or not he’d rather
start anew or find a way to work things out with his wife. At the same time,
Jacob finds himself enthralled by Hannah (Emma Stone), a would-be conquest who
initially rejects him before embracing the spontaneity that Jacob symbolizes, a
relationship that throws them both for a loop. All of this, along with another
love-related story line or two, creates a skillfully designed yet unrefined
look at the highs and lows of love.

It’s not often that we talk about the technical or
behind-the-scenes work done on a romantic comedy. If anything, you might hear
that the dialogue is well written but that’s usually about it. “CSL” is an
exception to this rule. The directing team of Glenn Ficarra and John Requa and
up-and-coming screenwriter Dan Fogelman made every effort to position this film
as much more than a simple date movie. For one thing, the shot selection and
camera work is exquisite. I’m not sure I’ve ever said that about a rom-com
before but it must be noted. Angles, close-ups, and fades are used to simply
and subtly enhance the tone of a given scene in a way that is usually reserved
(or at least noticeable to an average filmgoer like myself) for Oscar bait. The
story (or many stories) told within “CSL” is extremely intelligent and one that
treats the audience with respect. The characters are multi-dimensional, the
story isn’t black-and-white, and the film doesn’t superficially tug at your
heartstrings, rather allowing the organic elements of the narrative to do that on
their own. It is also gloriously self-aware, a cherry on top of the already
appealing sundae.

That’s not to say “CSL” is a perfectly made film. The
various plotlines don’t all come together for quite some time and that gets
slightly annoying and puts a lot of pressure on the conclusion (which thankfully
handles the pressure very well). Just when you really get into a particular
story, the scene cuts and you’re taken back to another set of characters. Fogelman’s
script is complex and the dialogue therein is even more so, requiring the
actors to talk in bursts in a way that is similar to an Aaron Sorkin film. I’m
a huge Sorkin fan so that didn’t bother me in the slightest but it can be
difficult to keep up. Even some of the character relationships seem odd at
times; not bad, mind you, but simply a bit awkward. (Though when you consider
the differences in the characters and the situations they’re put into, it should be awkward.) In addition, this is
not a seamless blend of drama and comedy. Many of the tougher, more impactful
scenes pull back and allow for a tension-breaking joke when I might prefer the
directors to take it a step further.

For me, however, “CSL” is better for its flaws. I can
relate to flawed characters and situations that aren’t ideal and that relevance
is where “CSL” excels. All of these characters are human; exaggerative examples
of humans, sure, but human nonetheless. And each and every member of the cast
(with the exception of Marisa Tomei who really isn’t given ANYTHING to work
with) grabs hold of that humanity and runs with it. I’ve always been fairly
lukewarm on Ryan Gosling fan but his performance here has won me over for good.
“Womanizing hot guy with a dark past” is a tired, often overdone role but
Gosling brings incredible depth to Jacob Palmer. At his heart he is a good
person and Gosling makes that believable
whereas other characters of this type seem only to be “good” in theory alone.
He also shows a distinctly humorous side that I didn’t know he had. The story
goes that when he took the role, Steve Carell essentially demanded Gosling be
his co-star, a decision which seemed strange at the time but is proven wise
time and time again throughout this film.

Speaking of Carell, I don’t think there is an actor in
Hollywood who is able to blend comedy and real, genuine heart like he does. He
elicits sympathy from the audience without becoming pathetic and his timing as
far as well-placed jokes go is uncanny. Meanwhile, Emma Stone continues to
assert herself as a legitimate movie star. She’s had bigger and perhaps better
performances in the recent past (“Easy A”) comes to mind but I don’t think she
has shown the depth or versatility that she does her. Funny as always, she adds
an element of mystique that makes it easy to believe that Jacob would leave his
wayward ways to chase after her. Moore, Bacon, and even relative newcomers
Jonah Bobo (who plays the Weaver’s son) and Analeigh Tipton (love-struck
babysitter) all carry their weight as well, making this a well-rounded ensemble
worthy of the many storylines the script weaves together. And the chemistry
between the involved parties of each storyline (Carell-Gosling, Gosling-Stone,
Carell-Bobo, etc.) ties “CSL” together wonderfully.

“CSL” is a sometimes jumbled collection of
interconnecting stories, all of which stand well on their own and all of which
are hell bent on exploring the truth about love. It is frustratingly beautiful,
flawed but whole, hilarious at times and heartbreakingly harsh at others. Most
of all, though, it is honest and that
is what makes it such a worthwhile viewing. Consider the “Just See This Movie”
card played and act accordingly.

Grade: A

Emma Stone is seriously close to stealing me away from
Rachel McAdams,

4 comments:

I, unfortunately, still have yet to see this one. Carell's Dinner for Schmucks didn't impress me so I remained skeptical. As much as I love The Office, he disappointed me in that one.

But I will now "Just See This Movie" because I liked your review! I didn't even realize Kevin Bacon was in it. Funny...Kevin Bacon stole a wife from Steve Carell in this one and from Rainn Wilson (Dwight in The Office) in Super.

Just some real disappointing stuff here because I thought it was going to be a lot funnier and a lot more insightful. Instead it just turned out to be another schmaltzy, feel-good rom-com with a really good cast. Nice Review!